Obituaries

When Gene Luedtke started working in The Fairfield Ledger advertising department in August 1969, Ben Taylor was the resident curmudgeon, and linotype operators still set type from a pot of molten lead.That?s a career of about 12,000 Ledger issues. The longtime advertising manager will be retiring Friday.People just don?t work 42-plus years in the same place anymore. Those are numbers racked up by the likes of ...

To the editor:Since Jefferson County is a member of Regional Utilities Service Systems, your readers may have heard that several member counties are trying to withdraw from it, and that RUSS is involved in several lawsuits with Residents for a Better Richmond in the unincorporated village of Richmond in Washington County.As a member of RBR I would like to share some of the experiences that have taught us a lot ...

To the editor:I would like to make a few statements about the current jail in Fairfield, Iowa.Last summer I was arrested and placed in the jail on Grimes Avenue. I had made a statement that was considered to be false witness. The officers came to my door, interrogated me, put me in handcuffs and carted me off. I spent the night there.I could not breathe in that jail cell and because there are no windows except ...

Ah, the sweet unpredictability of vacation.Since the beginning of time ? and perhaps best told in ?National Lampoon?s Vacation? ? man has often tried to arduously plan trips, only for these ?bulletproof? plans to promptly blow up in our faces time and time again.I haven?t been immune to such Clark Griswold-ian blow-ups. From myself crashing on an alpine slide to my sister being chased by a mountain goat, ...

To the editor:Saturday I attended the Straw Poll in Ames. What a contrast to previous years! Happy people and families enjoying a festive atmosphere. Ron Paul T-shirts and signs everywhere; Ron Paul?s tent/headquarters right smack in the middle of everything; young energetic Ron Paul campaign staffers and volunteers everywhere, running a friendly, efficient, smooth operation. I have more hope for American ...

To the editor: The Society of Fairfield Italian Americans recently promoted their ?All Things Italian? event on a bulletin board at the library, and we postered for Joe Benevento?s author book talk as well. I was impressed with the group?s enthusiasm and organizational know-how, and the multi-generational sense of community in Central Park was palpable. At the library?s front desk, we have responded to ...

To the editor:Great News!! Last week City Council once again for the second time voted to open the beach at Bonnifield Lake/Waterworks Park. Better yet, Council reduced the restrictions on swimming. They ended the requirement to take a qualifying test in order to swim outside the roped off swimming area. That means no more tickets for swimming outside the boundaries. This is great news. A special thanks to ...

Local government is alive and well in Fairfield and Jefferson County. I know because I spent four hours of my Monday at the courthouse and city hall with a pen and notepad.With Ledger reporter Lacey Jacobs gone for the day, those duties fell on my plate. I thought I might have gotten away with just a morning supervisors meeting, but a ?Willy Wonka? dress rehearsal and school board meeting took Michael Leach ...

Eugene Theodore “Gene” Vonderhaar, 81, of West Point, Iowa, passed away at 10:55 p.m. Saturday, September 29, 2018. Born August …

SERVICE PENDING Richard Ray “Rich” O’Neill, 55, of Mt. Pleasant, died Saturday, September 28, 2018 at his home. Arrangements are …